DA: No Charges Filed Against Animal Hoarders… Yet

The Brooklyn District Attorney has not yet filed charges related to yesterday’s multi-agency rescue of 23 dogs living in squalor in a Sheepshead Bay couple’s two homes, though the city did issue a slew of health- and safety-related violations.

The DA’s office is still investigating the case, and the dogs are in the custody of Animal Care & Control.

“The dogs need to be evaluated to see what condition they’re in, and that can take up to two weeks,” said a spokesperson for the DA.

The city first needs to determine the severity of the treatment before it can raise animal cruelty charges, the spokesperson said.

Sheepshead Bites broke the story yesterday of the rescue of 23 dogs from a Bedford Avenue couple. The duo kept 13 dogs in their primary residence at 4215 Bedford Avenue and 10 dogs in a second home at 2713 Avenue Y that had no heat or running water.

An on-scene investigator mistakenly told us that the couple was facing 20 counts of animal cruelty. We have corrected the original report to reflect the latest update.

According to the Tri-State Shetland Sheepdog Rescue organization, which the DA noted was involved in bringing the case to their attention, the dogs were malnourished, anemic, flea-ridden and unvaccinated.

Apparently, the city agrees. The Department of Health gave the couple violations for owning dogs without rabies vaccine certificates.

At the Avenue Y address, the Department of Buildings has issued violations and ordered the couple to clean and make repairs within 30 days or face a vacate order. They also cited the couple for an illegal apartment in the Bedford Avenue home.

The FDNY issued violations for blocking exits at the Avenue Y house.